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April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month!

Did you know that according to the Oral Cancer Foundation close to 49,750 Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year? It will cause over 9,750 deaths, killing roughly 1 person per hour, 24 hours per day and the numbers are rising.

There are two distinct pathways by which most people come to oral andoropharyngeal cancer. One is through the use of tobacco and alcohol (if you drink and use tobacco products are 15x more likely to develop cancer), a long-term historic problem and cause, and the other is through exposure to the HPV.

A small percentage of people (under about 10%) do get oral cancers from nocurrently identified cause. It is currently believed that these are likely related to some genetic predisposition.

The demographics of those who develop this cancer have been consistent for some time. While historically the majority of people are over the age of 40 at the time of discovery, it is now occurring more frequently in those under this age.

There are also links to young men and women who use conventional“smokeless” chewing or spit tobacco. Promoted by some as a safer alternative to smoking, it has in actuality not proven to be significantly safer to those who use it when referring to oral cancers. Same goes for Vaping. Several young men and women are stating Vaping is safer. Studies show that it can have more nicotine and dangerous chemicals.

During the month of April all offices offer a free Oral Cancer Screening. Please schedule your appointment and we can go over any questions you may have!